"Sand" for beach themed cake

I once made a sandcastle cake and I used graham cracker crumbs but instead of worrying about sticking the crumbs to fondant I just used buttercream which worked well enough. Maybe you could make buttercream that matches your fondant color (or even a sand color) and spread that where you need to attach sand?

I have also seen people use brown sugar for sand but in my opinion if there is going to be a lot on the cake rather then just a sprinkle for decoration the graham cracker crumbs are much tastier in large amounts.

I use ‘Sand’, quite often with my buttercream. I used crushed up graham crackers. You can use any kind of cookie, in that shade, run through a food processor and ground fine. Sometimes I will add a little brown sugar, for sweetness and glitter.

Usually, I have seen the ‘sand’ adhered to buttercream cakes. I think if you want it to stick to a fondant cake you should try to use some clear piping gel. Spread the piping gel in the fondant, and then using your hands, press the crumbs to the gel.
Personally, i would try this, and then let it dry overnight to make sure the crumbs will stick.

Types of cookies I have used for ‘sand’, ’Nilla Wafers, Windmill Cookies, Plain graham crackers, A mixture of nilla wafers and graham crackers and once when I was in a bind, I ground up a couple of waffle ice cream cones!

I hope this helps. I live at the beach and have many request for beach wedding cakes in which I use sand, you can check them out in my photos.

As a side note; If you are going to adhere anything else beside the sand such as a flower or a seashell, do that first because you will never get anything to stick to the sand, nor will you be able to write on the sand.
I adhere my seashells first, with some buttercream and then sprinkle ‘sand’, around the shells or flowers. I then use a food only paint brush, and sweep the crumbs off the seashells.

I hope this helps!
Donna T.
Cake Hatteras

Hi Nikki and Donna! Thanks for your responses. I was thinking of using piping gel too… i’m crossing my fingers that it works. Thanks again to both of you! really appreciate it! :)

You could use a mix of Graham cracker and raw brown sugar…very course brown sugar. Use Piping gel to stick….You could just use the sugar too. I would test it out on a piece of fondant…see which one you prefer. Good Luck!

I used a combo of cinnamon graham crackers and lt. brown sugar on cupcakes, and it looked quite pretty. Ditto the piping gel; I think it’s easier to brush on and less bulky looking than the butter cream unless you need the extra dimension the butter cream would add. Look forward to seeing the finished cake!